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【email / interview】FOREVER STILL

FOREVER STILL, a growing-success band you should keep open eyes on ! Their latest three-track EP, Scars, was released in November and has met high critical acclaim so far, thanks to its great melodies. Building on the success of their debut EP Breaking Free, this gothic/alternative rock quartet is planning to add two more digital EPs and then combine them all into a full length album for release in the Spring of 2015.

For those not acquainted with FS, could you tell us the story behind the band ? What inspired you to make music together ? Maja : Mikkel and I met at a show back in 2010. He presented me with some instrumental ideas, and I knew, I’d found someone who wanted to create the same music as I did. We started writing together and were able to connect on an emotional level, which is the base of our music. We make music from our hearts and try to convey emotion as raw and honest as possible.

What are you referring to with the name FOREVER STILL ? Is there any special meaning ? Maja : Yes, “Forever Still” refers to the feeling of being stuck in a dark place and not being able to escape. It feels as if everyone else is moving past you, living their lives unaffected, while you’re being swallowed by emptiness. It can feel as if it’s going to last forever, but I promise, it’s not.

You reassure me. You come from Denmark, what is the music-scene like there ? Maja : Given that it’s a small country, it’s a fairly small music scene as well, but if you know where to go, you’ll be able to find plenty of new, upcoming bands. Since the underground music scene is not that big, a lot of people are familiar with each other and have a connection to the clubs and the people who go there. I only wish that a lot of artists touring Europe wouldn’t skip Denmark – we do like rock and metal here !

The band released an EP titled Scars on 13rd November. Can you tell us more about it ? Maja : The Scars EP is part 1 of a concept album about a suppressed individual struggling through depression, anxiety, and worthlessness, and in the end possible self discovery. As with all our music, Scars is inspired by personal experiences. It’s very raw, emotional and somewhat imperfect, because we wanted it to sound like someone falling apart and trying to put the pieces back together. It’s going to be the darkest of the EP’s, because this is where it all begins.

Interesting. A concept album is on the way. Can you tell us more about it ? Maja : I think this is an album where people will be able to feel that we’ve really opened up and put everything on the table. It makes us feel very vulnerable, but at the same time it felt like the right thing to do. We’ve gone through some tough times, and I know the same thing goes for a lot of our fans, so this can hopefully be therapy for them. I know it has been for me, and it honestly took some guts and time to be able to go deep and dig up all the uncomfortable things, which have been so much easier to hide and try to forget. We’ll be releasing part 2 this month and the full, physical album/part 3 in the late spring. No title-spoilers yet !

Your music is available for stream and download for free. Why so ? Maja : We believe that music should be available to everyone – both those who are broke, and those who have a little extra to spare in support of the artists they love. People are given a choice, which we believe, is beneficial for everyone. All we ask in return, is that if you enjoy what we do, share it with everyone you know. We’re independent, so we don’t have a great, big team or ten thousand of dollars behind us, but what we do have, is a powerful fan base and word of mouth.

I am pretty impressed by the high-quality audio of your studio-recordings. What’s your secret ? And what is the writing and recording process like of the band ? Maja : We really appreciate that, thank you ! Our secret weapon is Mikkel, who is a trained recording engineer by Flemming “Metallica” Rasmussen and has worked with some of Denmarks best selling artists. Mikkel records and mixes all of our music, which puts us completely in charge of our own sound. For the writing process Mikkel creates the instrumentals and I do the vocal melodies and lyrics, and we work together to make everything come together and be as good as possible. When recording, our key words are passion and emotion above all else, and we push each other to the edge to make everything as honest and bold as possible. I think a lot of records these days sound boring and uninspired, because everyone strives to make their records “perfect” instead of having an emotional impact. That is not what we are about, we want to convey raw, unfiltered emotions.

Breaking Free, your first EP released in 2013 was well-received. Each of the songs was accompanied by a video. How did you come-up with this idea, which I find totally brilliant ? Are they linked to each other ? Do they tell a story ? Please, tell us more about this art project. Maja : We find the visual aspects to be a very big part of the band, and since we make our own videos, we we’re able make one for all the songs we want. Every song tells a story, and every video helps support that story or bring a new interpretation to the table. All the videos and the songs of the Breaking Free EP are linked to the theme of breaking free from something holding you down as well as self-development. The Key is mainly focused on breaking free from yourself, The Last Day on breaking free from other people and being independent, and Towards the Edge is about seeing beauty in the little things in life.

The band is involved on all fronts – from the creation process of the music, of course, and the visual art, to the marketing and sales of the project. What are the pros and cons of doing everything yourselves ? Maja : The best thing is to be able to make it about more than just the music. We can make everything come together in the bigger picture and make it larger than life. Being independent and fully in charge also makes everything very personal, since everything is an honest and unfiltered version of us. The cons are the amount of hours in a day compared to all the things we want done. And to decide when to stop working on something, like a song or a video, since there’s no one else to tell you when it’s done or good enough.

What do you want people to take away from listening to your music ? Maja : It always makes me happy when people say our music has helped them in a really difficult time of their lives, because it’s amazing that something you create can make other people feel better. This is what music has done for me, and I’m humbled to be able to pass that on. That’s one of the beautiful things about music. People can take whatever they want or need from it and nobody makes the rules

If you could say one thing to people that haven’t heard your music yet, what would it be ? Maja : First of all I’m freaking impressed you made it to the end of an interview with someone you don’t know. At this point you’ll probably have an idea of what we’re all about and what we’re not. If you’re intrigued I’d suggest you give our single “Scars” a listen – you can download a free version here : foreverstill.bandcamp.com or get the full video-experience here : youtube.com/watch?v=KUG0c05iK-Q Connect with us on our social media and let us know what you think !